Furious dad sues school for cost of self-defence lessons daughter took to fight bullies

BULLIED: A teen girl was forced to take self-defence lessons to fight off bullies

The dad is demanding a refund for the lessons she needed to stop being taunted and beaten in the playground.

He claims Thorns Community College is liable for the £57.35 fees for failing to protect its Year 10 girls.

The teen moved to her new school last September and is now taking classes in martial art jeet kune do in order to “equip her with the necessary skills to protect herself”.

SWNS

SCHOOL: The girl was bullied after transferring to Thorns Community College

SWNS

LAWSUIT: The girl's dad is suing the school for the cost of the lessons

Her dad, who did not want to be named, said: “It started with verbal bullying but escalated to shoving and punching.

“I went to the school but they didn’t seem to care or take it seriously”

The girl's dad

“I think some other girls were jealous and said she was posh because her previous school was nicer.

“Every day she was teased and bullied online.

“I went to the school but they didn’t seem to care or take it seriously.”

SWNS

POSH: Bullies teased the girl because her old school was nicer

His case is backed by community group Parents Against Bullying At Thorns after Freedom of Information figures revealed that the school, in Stourbridge, West Mids, has dealt with more than 400 bullying incidents in the past two years.

Police have been called to the school on 22 different occasions since 2014.

Principal Andy Cox said he will be “acting on it in due course”, adding he has a zero-tolerance policy.